Life After Retirement

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Month: February 2016

Most signs are boring, efficient and simple and give information with a minimum of fuss. In this collection of silly signs and ridiculous notices from around the world – from crazy commands and weird warnings to those with double meanings and mad spellings – are all sorts of funny examples. Some of these are :

Anybody who loves photography would love this book. In fact, the blurb says, ” This wonderful gem of a book rings clear and true like a well-tuned piano.”

With all the distractions that are part of our waking hours, it is no wonder that the simplest sounds of an ordinary day are taken for granted. Sounds like

the crackling of ice,

the pattering raindrops on a rooftop,

the rumbling of an approaching storm,

the rustling of leaves,

the whistling of a tea kettle,

the clicking of a lock,

the zooming of planes overhead,

the ringing of the telephone,

the closing of a door,

a ball bouncing,

a ting of the spoon in a cup,

a splash of a puddle,

the wash of an iincoming tide,

the crunch of an apple,

the scratch of a pencil

are so commonplace that we seldom – if at all – take time to appreciate them. Yet, when the ability to hear these sounds are taken away – as in Marsha Engle’s case – we are humbly reminded of their value.

William J Huber helped to capture 100 pictures of the sounds Marsha Engle could no longer hear in stunning photographs. This unique breathtaking book is a treasure that reminds us of an important life lesson: what is so normal is really quite profound. It reminds us that in this world of stress, fear and anxiety, the subtle, soft and easy-to-miss sounds are really rich and nurturing. As we listen to our world, we are listening to our life.

This beautiful life portrait written by Zena Alkayat and illustrated by Nina Cosford is sensitive and revealing. There are many quotations by other publications of the life of one of 20th century’s greatest authors and is moving, evocative and generous in its approach.

It is interesting to note that this well-known author was born Adeline Virginia Stephen on 25 Jan 1882 in England to a family filled with books, letters and mementos. She read and wrote obsessively, loved to take long walks and listen to the waves breaking, and adored playing cricket and was an ace bowler. Her mother died when she was 13, and her father died 7 years later. She was insolable until she co-founded the Bloomsbury Group with one of her brothers. This was made up of friends who were writers, thinkers, artists, an art critic and an economist. She began reviewing books, writing essays and articles, and was a formidable critic. the Blooomsbury Group produced avant-garde work such as hosting an exhibition about the Post-Impressionists that included radical and anti-formal artwork by Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gaugin and Matisse. London was shocked, amused, outraged and challenged.

Virginia and her brother conceived a communal living plan and Leonard Woolf, a writer and intellectual who had worked seven years in the Civil Service was one of the tenants. Virginia and Leonard married on 10 August 1912. Virginia became suddenly ill after the honeymoon and was on the brink of a breakdown by 1913. She took an overdose of sleeping drugs in September that year but survived, though she suffered a relapse before 1916. (Her first book, The Voyage Out, published during this period, took 15 years to sell 2000 copies.) She wrote Night and Day in 1919 and Jacob’s Room in 1922; and ventured into designing book jackets and set up a printing press with her husband and published works by the likes of E M Forster, T S Eliot and Kathering Mansfield.

Back in London in 1925, Mrs Dalloway was published and its form was an ambitious and adventurous experiment, and fiction was never the same again. In 1927, she wrote To The Lighthouse, an ode to her parents. This was quickly followed by Orlando (1928) which contains the line, “Nothing thicker than a knife’s blade, especially happiness from melancholy”. Her other books include

A Room of One’s Own (a provocative essay on women’s place in the male-dominated literary history);

The Waves (1931) (a poetic meditation on the inner voice following six friends over a lifetime; it was Virginia’s experiment with rhythm in place of plot, and a homage to her Bloomsbury clique);

The Years (1937) (it took five years to write and sold 43,909 copies in the first six months)

Between The Acts (1941) (which contains the line, “Books are the mirrors of the soul”.) This book was published posthumously because Virginia committed suicide on 28 Mar 1942. She was 59.

I wish I had read something similar to this book (published in 2015) before watching the biopic (starring Nicole Kidman) about a decade ago.

After attending a very interesting library group discussion on Climate Change, I borrowed this book among all the others on display because it caught my attention with its small and compact size, yet gives us practical tips on what we can do to make a difference.

The planet is in trouble. Everywhere, people talk about how air pollution is causing the earth’s climate to change , how logging and oil-drilling are ruining natural habitats, and how trash is overflowing into our waterways and so on. This book tells us facts, tips and creative ideas on how to make eco-responsible living simple and accessible.

Some of these simple, yet meaningful, ways we can help to protect the environment on a daily basis are:

When shaving, use soap and water instead of shaving cream as shaving cream containers are not easy to recycle; use 100% recycled and recyclable razors;

Choose front-loading washing machines as they use up to 50% less water;

Don’t just toss out old shoeboxes (can be an art supplies box or make-up box etc), old half-used spiral notebooks ( can be a new scorecard for Scrabble), old shopping bag (can be a new gift bag) or an old suitcase (can be a lounge pad for the pet cat or dog);

Reuse paper before tossing it into the recycled bin (eg, using the backs of old photocopies);

Switch off the computer and turn out the lights when not in use;

Use a refillable and washable mug or thermos at coffee shops;

Reuse old clothing, recycled plastic bags, and

Reduce the use of cars and petrol.

All these simple tips help us realise that we must create a lifestyle that reflects our love for the environment and do something to help protect it on a daily basiss. We must treat the Earth as a precious place to be treaded gently upon, and handed down from one generation to the next.

Another book by #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books I pick out from the shelves without even having to read the blurb! Garwood is a critically acclaimed author with thirty-six million copies of books in print. I’ve enjoyed several of her previous books, including Hotshot, Sweet Talk, The Ideal Man, Sizzle, Fire and Ice, Shadow Music, Shadow Dance, Killjoy and Mercy.

Fast Track is a story about a high school chemistry teacher in Chicago called Cordelia Kane. She was raised by her father from the time she was two years old becuse her mother died in a car crash. When he dies of a heart attack, she is devastated and is even more shocked to discover the truth about her mother. To find out more, she travels to Sydney. She is then drawn into a volatile family drama. To prevent Cordelia from telling the truth about her mother, attempts are made to silence her. Yet it is a surprise when the real culprit behind these devious plots is revealed.

Being a romantic suspense thriller, there is of course a sub-plot involving Cordelia and one of her best friends’ brothers. So, besides famiily secrets and an attempted murder, the book is also about the friendship of three girls and their relationships with their brothers and husbands.

Garwood’s novels are easy to read and light-hearted, a good way to relax and recharge. I look forward to her next book.